Oral History
Before time was something thought to be recorded, it was spoken. These tails are where we begin our story The Legend Of The Prism Moth A tale is told of an ancient blue moth. The story goes that this moth amassed more power than any before him, or any that would follow him. This moth is known by legend as the Prism Moth. Known as such because he consumed all manor of magic, becoming something greater than a blue moth, a moth in control of thoum itself. The legend goes that this great force for neutrality absorbed these abilities over many years while protecting the balance of the world. Over time absorbing abilities from allies as gifts, or from enemies by force to reduce their power. According to this legend there was very little magic in this time. This legend predates a convergence by quite some time and while its suspected that magic may be waning because of this, its also suspected that this moth amassed so much power that they were actually draining from the world it self as well if we are to believe its true. Supposedly The Moth grew concerned that if a blue moth followed in their footsteps, that the prism moths power could be taken from them. Potentially leading to a terrible event for the world. Wishing to avoid this, the Prism Moth decided to split their magical abilities, forming them into several items, and also sealing away its physical body to avoid someone being able to poses it or raise it, as the Prism Moths physical body on its own was incredibly powerful. The story tells this led to the following magical items The Green Moth Gauntlets. The tale tells this item gives the wearer resistance to poison, and imparts the knowledge of some spells that control the earth below their feet. The Yellow Moths Armor. Giving the wearer resistance to lightning and thunder, and the ability to wield it. The Red Moths Helm. This gave the wearer resistance to charms, and power over the minds of men and mehr. The Black Moths Cowel. This item is Said to give the wearer the ability to hide from death itself. Some scholars, or grave robbers imagine and hope that if these could be combined it would make them all powerful. However most scholars wouldnt be willing to admit they believe in such a wives tale. The tale never tells what supposedly happens to the body of the prism moth. Some of an old religion say his body is what lights the night sky. The Red Rebellion (Moth Lore) First, Let's begin with a brief history of the "Blue Moths" According to logs from some of the earliest records we know that The mysterious "Blue Moths" once were considered a faction of the way of white, but diverged once the formation of the organized church began. These defectors chose the purity in arcane study, far from the masses so that they may commit more openly to their unique and often dangerous style. They are commonly mistaken for Elemental/ Celestial/ Fiendish Beasts by the pure chaotic and destructive nature of their spell study. Unlike other casters, Blue Moths require no formal practice of spells, nor do they evoke energy from within as other sorcerers do. Rather, they weave magic of the world around them, with such proficiency and lack of effort that many are considered Minor divinity mattering on their experience level. This rare ability is only passed by blood. There have been no documented cases of new Moths being born without a Moth parent. Thus, their small tribe attempted to manage their numbers early on, but this proved difficult as they were spread out in the early days across the material. As a result, many smaller and fractured bands sprouted up, and some even developed new ways to awaken their "Blue Spark". These new Paths to Moth-hood were either cautiously embraced and carefully mentored by the blue, or shunned vehemently. One Such reviled style was known as the dreaded and fierce "Blood Moths" Blood Moths: These "Casters", using the term lightly, were usually children of magical slaves to barbarian raider fathers. Many were believed to be Cast out as Tribes-men are often untrustworthy of "Magi-Men" as they call them. However, small numbers grew to adulthood, and even fewer awoke the spark. They accomplished this through battle and Ritual combat pushing their bodies to the absolute limit, and forcing their survival instincts to awaken the dormant power within. The accounts recorded from carefully extracted interviews state "Flesh of magi-men smell different. Smell good. Me smell from many moons away, and track like Prey. Once ME AM eat magi-man, Me am grow stronger." It was gathered from this testimony that unlike their Blue Brethren the Blood Moths could not weave magic freely, nor could they reflect it. They grew in magical prowess and strength through Cannibalism of Magical creatures, and possessed only the ability to enhance their barbarous Rage with flailing of chaotic magical energy. Initially The Blue Moth elders of the time did not concern themselves with a few gifted barbarians. Many were defeated by warring tribes, or otherwise wiped out by local military's making way for civilization. The threat they posed as disorganized as they were was minimal at best. Udoroth Fire-forged: However, Time would go on, and roughly 2,000 years ago, shortly after the quelling of the iron rebellion, and the culling of the bloodline that followed a Child was found off the coast of the Metal Ruins by Fire-forge Pirates. Journal entiries of the captians of that time were obtained to verify the story, but as is was told The child was found in a corpse. His mother was hung with a dozen others on a dead tree. The pirates looking to sac what was left of the former Iron Islands looted the bodies, and the captain at the behest of one of his salt wives chose to adopt the child. Years later he would be raised as any Pirate child would, on the seas, and in bloody battle for plunder. The boy grew large, and hardened by the roughness of the seas. He Became famous among his Crew men as a merciless killer, and berserker fearing no death. Several accounts recorded suggested by age 10 the boy would crash into target ships wielding a full sized greatsword and cleave grown men in twain as they sacked the boat. When all was said and done He would be soaked in Blood head to toe. On this boy's Name Day he took the name "Udoroth" a goblin-noid word for Murder. Not long after, a gnomish military vessel attacked and sunk his fathers ship, Udoroth was taken prisoner, and unfortunately the guards and local townsfolk discovered what he really was Udoroth Fire-forged was a Blood Moth, and one unlike the world had ever seen. Accounts taken from the town over from the one he was held in say they saw a Crimson light burn over the horizon then nothing but billowing smoke and flame. When the armed forces made it to the scene for reinforcement the gruesome sights they saw caused a number of them to retire. The logs state bodies were disemboweled, burnt, mangled beyond recognition. The worst was a small arcane study, every student, teacher, scholar was picked clean. Bones stained in blood were all that remained. After this account of the Bloody Butcher of Aroon-Shire became scattered and harder to confirm. What we know is that eventually he found his way to Wallachia, the homeland of the moths, with an army of many different formerly warring savage tribes. A number of these tribes were led by fellow, but lesser Blood Moths. The Blue Moths having fewer in number, resorted to the only tactic they had at there disposal, Magical counter-attack. Moths from across the globe came to the aide of the Western Conclave. A number of their most powerful elders worked together to assault the hordes with magical storms, hellfire, and radiant waves of destructive force. To no avail, though much of the swarm would be eviscerated it would always manage to maintain the onslaught, while the Blue Moths eventually lost 1/4 of their own number. This final account was formally stricken by officials of both the Way of White and Blue moth, so with as much detail as I am permitted... The 4 elders coalesced a power not seen on the material plane since creation, and within a Tempest of Chromatic wild fire the hordes were consumed. *redacted by the way of white and blue moth consulates* Redacted Account: Once the smoke cleared the landscape of the battlefield was like icy glass. Not one ounce of land was untouched by the magical torment the elders handed down. Not a single mite moved in the statically charged but still air, Save for the shambling mass on the swollen heap of ash. The horrid, demonic, and flayed form of the one they named that day "Udoroth, the Blood God" stood again amongst the devastation, and let out a cry that shattered that battlefield to its core. With every bit Equal force to the elders his rage burned the land to molten rivers of pristine crystal. The elders never knowing this sensation, reacted for the first time in what they came to know as True Terror, and Split the demon in twain magically. His body flung through the planes never to be found, and his soul sealed within the very molten crystal he created. From that a "Crimson Heart" was forged and buried in secret. To this Day Blue moth's will deny its existence, and deny this account of records. To know that amongst those bloody, untamed, war mongering hordes a True Blue moth rose shakes them more to the core then the thought of the end he would have brought them. The Council of the Blue Rose (Moth Lore) When the Blue Moth's first defected from the way of white, and became their own more cloistered faction they initially chose to reject the idea of formal leaders. The notion of organization and order was what The W.O.W wanted. The Moths wanted freedom to grow in safe secluded corners across the world without the misguided over-sight of pompous clergy only hoping to use their gifts for their political ends. To this end, the Moths elected no former council or leadership, but did separate into several conclaves that kept in mutual contact via special sending magic only available to Blue moths at the time. This system of small tight knit communal societies across the material worked very well for some time until the enemies of the Blue became evermore apparent. Conclaves would be ravaged by any and all who wished to prey on the gifted monks, and those without experienced enough elders fell quickly to the might of more organized forces. Shortly there after, contact became difficult and sparce, and this led to the "Fractioning" spoke of in other logs. The events of blue moths dispersing, blending in with common folk, and new Moth's arising from the evolving art. Both Positive and Negative. However after many years of the tradition, a Group of 4 Elder Moths came together. 1 for each corner of the compass on the map. They had seen the benefits others were afforded by more strict hierarchy. The ability to function quickly and without thought was something the Moths desperately needed to secure their future and stability. And so, Those 4 elders created the first "Council of the Blue Rose" Later adding 4 more junior members for all 8 points of the compass rose when their numbers grew strong again. They formed the first sacred text of Blue written in Arcane Script only legible to Moths, and Produced a copy to each conclave now under their protection. Never again would Blue Moth's be afraid and alone. The light of the elders would always shine through in times of need. Coincidentally this new practice added the benefit of growing thier collective knowledge quicker. Though now more reluctant to share even among their own number, those that had the ability no longer had limitations based upon their local community. All Blue Moths could train across the world in any "Rose" they chose. Forever-after The council of the Blue Rose governed loosely the order of the Blue Moth, and Each "Corner Rose" has their chosen elder to represent them. Monasteries or local orders are commonly referred to as "roses" or "Conclaves" if you want to be a stickler. Below are stories of the dark timeline The Age Of Stone Ages ago, beyond the many rises and falls of recent kingdoms and lands, there was one with no name. Far far in the beginning. The land was dark, it was cold. Ancient stone dragons were all that existed. The dragons of this age were different. Immortal, lifeless to the way we know it. The blood of one such Dragon was somehow spilled in an event lost to time. However, the blood that flowed in the beings body was what we would know now as pure Thoum. With the loss of one of the former Immortal Dragons it's spilled blood began to bring life as we know it to the land. Thick skies opened to reveal a bright gift in the sky. The paths is blood took became rivers that would feed new life as plants and animals. Eventually a war would take place between old humanoids and the remaining dragons. The tales of this event are hard to come by and differ slightly from land to land as oral history does. One thing is for sure, the old dragons were somehow defeated and the humanoids began their age of of rule. While it would take many forms over the eons, Humans of some kind would always rule from here out. Be them Fey or man. Wallachia (First kingdom of the Drow) Scraps of history hint at a long forgotten kingdom formed by Drow on the surface world. It is said this "Wallachia" was a beautiful and peaceful land of piety and order. However, a darkness crept over the land. A monster known as Dracula descended upon the land, and consumed the hearts of the innocent. With Fire and Blood Wallachia was purged of all that they had ever been. It is sometimes said the reason for the Devil coming to Wallachia had to do with the particularly righteous servants who burned his followers at the stake. A powerful Witch by the name Lisa Tepesh laid a curse before she died. "He will be better then you, He knows what you have done." Vecnas Betrayal ''' '''Several times would the progress of man an mehr be erased by conflict, bringing all to the edge of extinction. Forcing all involved to grow again from square one. One such story Is that of Vecna Morco. He was high advisor to the High elven king whose name is long since gone to time. Vecna made the king believe that a series of murders and small towns falling ill were do to a band of heroes during the era known as the ‘Six’. The Six were heros from across the lands and of different descents. They held the belief that diversity could unite the kingdoms. Truly Vecna had been committing the atrocities. The king never would learn the truth. By the time even the Six knew what was going on they could only try to lessen the damage that was to come. They would soon realize that Vecna was siphoning the souls of the dead to fulfill his desire for power and eternal life. They all fought their way to him across a great mountain each falling one after the other until one stood before Vecna. He knew he could not best him in battle, so he tried to thwart him by destroying a crystal that was controlling his soul crystals. The resulting explosion wiped out all the known civilizations, but Vecnas plan was at least thwarted and the souls of the once damned were released to the aether. Ire Islands The lands of Ire are said to be a land of light, and flowing with magic. Its a tail told to children as a fairy tail. The legends say that magic pools like water its so thick in the land, and falls to the material plane as mist. Nuckelavee Some legends tell of a creature that could be found in a far off land of the Ire Aisles called the Nuckelavee. This creature was said to appear as a skinned horse, with the upper body of a man growing from the spine of the creature that also showed flesh and muscle tissues. Its head and arms misshapen. larger than what would be proportionate to the rest of the strange animal. The tail goes that even speaking the creatures name could summon it forth to bring misfortune to those nearby. Its version of misfortune however was quite destructive. Tails say that the creatures breath alone could kill entire crops. The Six Soul Forged The Dwarves and Gnomes have a rich oral history filled with great tales and stories. Many times over the course of centuries they have fought over resources.This was one such time. The Dwarves began making a secret weapon. They experimented with pulling magic from an unknown plane they didnt understand to power these metal creations. These would become the first incarnations of what we would later know as WarForged. The Dwarves would attack the Gnomes in secret with these new machinations, beginning what would be a war to last centuries. Eventually the Dwarves would realize this magic theyve been pulling from another plane was somehow tearing pieces of souls into their creations.When they discovered this they didnt take any time to think of the moral implications, they only saw a more powerful source of magic if they learned to harness it better. At this point their strongest Forge Masters were taking whole souls from this strange source and putting them into their dark creations. Many years would pass, these powerful machines creating incredible destruction but the Gnomes holding control over the main Metal mines prevented the Dwarves from ever gaining large swaths of ground. The Dwarves in fear of a stalemate began designing a a new version of these machines. SoulForged as they were known at the time. They began a highly secretive project they called 'CeturionSoul'. In the meantime the engineers in the main Forge, the 'BellForge' refined their work on the SoulForged. Eventually a squad of 6 SoulForged would become the Highest ranked in the military. And they began showing personalities. Something new for SoulForged of this era. The Engineers suspected the souls that they had pulled from the aether that formed these particular machines were so strong in life that even in death they retained some degree of self. This of course is in an age when these people didnt believe there was anything beyond death, so it was a very controversial subject to even mention. Over the course of more battles the 6 SoulForged would slowly become vocal about the conflict. One of them even claimed to be a Dwarf from an age long passed. They all tried to council the Dwarves against this conflict. This concept went over very poorly and they were imprisoned. this in itself was a feat to marvel at as these were the most powerful creations they had made yet. With the dwarves most powerful squad of SoulForged inprisoned, and resources dwindling they began losing ground. The Gnomes had made strange suits that had visible threads of magic around them that seemed to make their mages powers swell. The Dwarves believed now that they should use their secret weapon. The CenturionForged. This was a machine that was 4 stories tall. It had a swelling pulsating core of Soul Mass in its chest that powered it and gave it life. From the core cries and moans of the dead could be heard. The cries werent loud, little more than a whisper, but the sound carried for miles. As the abomination rose from the depths of the underground Bell Forge the war across the land fell silent. Both sides had been at war for generations at this point and only now felt true fear. The Centurion made its way to the coast, wreaking havoc as it went.The destructive power of its steps alone was far more than the Dwarves believed possible. When it reached the coastline where one of the main battles was taking place for a harbor it took a single swing with its War Hammer. The strike was so devastating that it carved a path out of the land that is clearly visible on maps today. It nearly bisected the continent. After the wave of destruction the whole land was covered in dust and debris.The centurion while it still had power to spare refused to move. The warriors on the battlefield after seeing the destruction their war had cause so easily they refused to fight any longer. It would be weeks before the dust would even settle. Both sides signed a ceasefire and the Dwarves vowed to seal the Centurion away, though its too powerful to actually be destroyed. In a matter of decades the Dwarves and Gnomes would repair most of the damage. However over 80% of the land was now arid and rocky because of the destruction they caused. Both sides agree to not actively try to alter it as a reminder of what arrogance and misguided actions can do to your home. Thankfully most of their main cities resided underground anyway. The Six SoulForged, by now refereed to as War Forged were released and the Dwarves begged them for forgiveness for having imprisoned them, and not listening to their wisdom. The Six said they were above what they called 'petty grudges' and the Six resolved to travel to distant lands aiding whoever they could, and meditating on their new existence as seemingly immortal creations.